Many operations in a variety of settings function during the dark hours of the day where activities could not proceed without adequate light. Construction, military operations, facilities management and maintenance operations, parties and special events, athletic events, emergency response, and industrial operations are a few examples. Fixed and mobile light sources are two options that can help to illuminate the setting. Fixed lighting is often characterized by streetlights, area lighting in the form of flood lights, or other permanent structures that are connected to an electric utility and operate off of traditionally delivered electric power. Mobile solutions include trailer mounted gas or diesel powered lights, as well as trailer mounted lights powered with alternative energy.
Infrastructure limitations to fixed lighting require that each site to be lit be hardwired to the utility in order to function, a requirement which may mandate continual use of the same site to justify the time and expense of such an installation. This often does not meet the needs of the activity. Mobile lighting in various forms may be moved to accommodate the location and timing of the activity, and may be temporary in nature; however, can be expensive and loud to run, as well as can impose environmental ramifications as a result of emissions from the system. Mobile options, while easy to transport individually, do not allow for efficient use of limited deck space on a tractor trailer or cargo space in a shipping container or other cargo transport in order to ship maximum multiple units at one time.
The incorporation of a trailer base into a mobile light tower adds wheels and fenders to the mobile light tower, an addition that may introduce adverse effects while having no positive impact on performance capabilities. The use of wheels makes the unit more unstable during transport, thus requiring a more secure and labor intensive restraint system. The addition of wheels and fenders as well as the requisite tow bar and hitch on the front of the mobile units that define the present art add width and length to the light tower. The stowed mast and light assembly projecting from the back of the current mobile units add more length and further impede packing and shipping, and therefore impose significant limitations on the quantity of light towers that can be shipped, also significantly increasing the time and difficulty required to load mobile light towers. The additional design challenges created by an exposed light assembly and solar panels to an already inefficient footprint produce an even more cumbersome and fragile package. Also, using rubber tires as a foundation of a mobile light tower increases the maintenance regimen and wear and tear on the unit. It also introduces the vulnerability of having a worn or damaged tire render the unit inoperable.
Designing a light tower on a trailer base creates the need for driving, directional and brake lights, and the associated wiring. They require a unique DOT administered VIN and, therefore, a title. Many states require a light tower to be registered and assigned a state license plate, which is renewed annually.
Mobile lighting units powered by renewable energy sources offer power only to the on board light fixtures, denying users the ability to power other devices such as phones, computers, small electrical tools, or other electrically powered devices directly from the unit.